Five of Chiltern Harriers young athletes took part in this high standard event with athletes competing from all over the South of England, from Cornwall across to Kent and Norfolk. All were looking to gain from the experience with the opportunity to improve their personal best performances. Weather conditions were perfect, dry and sunny on both days.
U17 Rob Smith was the first to compete on Saturday and had a solid run in his 800m heat to finish 5th and record a new Pb 2mins 5.79 secs. Joel Williams had his sights set on getting to the U17 Men's 100m final and duly cruised through the first round heats and semi-final. The track seemed slow for the sprinters but Joel was looking forwarding to making an impact in the final. However, he was forced to pull out of competing in the final as a sore hamstring couldn't be risked. His disappointment was increased as the final was won in 11.09 secs, just quicker than the 11.10 secs he clocked the previous Sunday.
U15 Jack Dutton had a great run on Saturday in his heat of the 800m finishing 3rd and qualifying for Sunday's final. He was doubly pleased that his 2mins 6.49 secs was a new Pb by 4 secs and inside the qualifying time for the English Schools T & F championships in July. Unfortunately in the final Jack had asthmatic problems but bravely completed the race in 8th place.
First year U15 Michael Goddard (13) had an outstanding debut in a major championship. On the Saturday he clocked a new Pb of 4 mins 26.65 secs in his 1500m heat to finish 3rd and qualify for Sunday's final. He then improved his new best time by nearly 2 secs when finishing 5th in the final with a time of 4 mins 24.80 secs. Training partner Dan Barraclough also had a fine run in the heats finishing 5th in a new Pb of 4 mins 35.72 secs to qualify as a fastest loser for the final in which he finished in 13th place.
Gary Howells